Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

NEWS ROUNDUP

Supreme Court to hear case on global warming The Supreme Court will take up its first-ever case on global warming Wednesday as it hears arguments from states and environmentalists seeking federal regulation of motor-vehicle emissions. The Environmental Protection Agency contends that the problem of carbon dioxide emissions and other so-called greenhouse gases is too big and falls beyond its statutory mandate. The court's work on the case will focus on the scope of the federal Clean Air Act rather than the debate over emissions' impact on the climate. However, the justices' ruling could shape the U.S. government's role in a pressing issue of the day and ultimately affect whether automakers will be required to build cleaner-running cars and trucks. As the Bush administration has resisted forcing industries to control the greenhouse gases that the National Academy of Sciences and numerous scientific groups say cause global warming, California and 10 other states have made plans to enforce their own regulations for tailpipe emissions. The case could have ramifications for those states because the authority to regulate emissions, even on the state level, derives from the Clean Air Act. The case's significance is reflected in the more than 20 "friend of the court" briefs filed from a range of industry groups, scientists, and conservation and recreation interests....Sides debate status of grizzlies Here in what's been called America's Serengeti, park visitors say they still find fresh tracks of the grizzly bear in snowy valleys, a sign that the West's largest land carnivore has benefited from one of the greatest species-recovery programs since that of the bald eagle. But ever since the federal government indicated about a year ago that it wanted to remove Yellowstone's 600-plus grizzlies from the threatened species list by early 2007, a debate has been going on about whether the apex predator is genuinely ready to lose its protected status or whether this is a case of politics at work. Already, advocates for keeping the bear protected are predicting lawsuits that could tie up the government's effort in court. Other conservationists and federal officials say the Endangered Species Act has worked for the grizzlies in America's first national park, where the bear was listed as threatened in 1975 when its population fell to 136. In the early 1970s, many bears were killed partly because of poorly managed garbage sites. Grizzlies elsewhere in the lower 48 states still would be listed as threatened, officials said. One possible consequence of delisting of the grizzlies in and around Yellowstone would be state-regulated trophy hunts in the three states outside Yellowstone and the easing of restrictions on killing "nuisance" bears on private property, activists say....Baucus seeks public lands meetings Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., is asking the U.S. Forest Service to hold meetings in Montana on possible cutbacks that could result in the closure of campgrounds, picnic areas and other recreational facilities. By the end of 2007, each of 155 national forests and 20 grasslands must complete a recreation-site facility master plan evaluating recreation facilities on their condition, frequency of use and how they fit in the forest's recreation focus. Federal officials have said they are weighing the value of each of roughly 15,000 campgrounds, trailheads with bathrooms and other developed recreation sites in the 193 million acres under the agency's authority against the costs of maintaining them. Montana's Forest Service land contains 1,500 campgrounds, according to Baucus' office....Study: Sleds can stress wildlife, but guides help Snowmobile guides in Yellowstone have reduced the frequency and severity of wildlife conflicts with winter visitors, according to a draft environmental study for winter travel in the world’s first national park. However, snowmobiles did disturb the majority of animals studied, including bison, elk, coyotes and swans. Bald eagles show the most frequent response to snowmobiles, either flying away or showing “vigilance” in the presence of the machines more than 83 percent of the time. The wildlife study is part of a draft environmental impact statement released Nov. 20 for a technical review by officials in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Forest Service. Teton County is a collaborating agency that will be allowed to comment before Dec. 22. The study includes Grand Teton National Park. Conservationists, snowmobile advocates and gateway communities are keenly watching the National Park Service as it studies options for winter use and seeks public input....Gov. Risch touts Idaho's roadless plan Gov. Jim Risch plans to present his petition to manage Idaho's 9.3 million acres of roadless U.S. Forest Service land on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.. The plan has been praised by the timber industry as sensible even as environmentalists say it would open great swaths of pristine forest to destructive development. Risch planned to defend his 69-page plan before the Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee that advises Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on such petitions. Johanns oversees the Forest Service. The governor aims to ban road-building on about 3 million acres, while allowing some development on the rest, including roads for timber harvests aimed at removing beetle-killed trees some fear boost the danger of big wildfires....Proposed legislation would leave mountain bikers out of wilderness From the Fourth of July Lake trail, mountain bikers catch some of the widest views of the comb-like peaks of the Boulder-White Cloud mountains, but only if they can take their eyes off the wrist-twisting shale as the trail cuts across the picturesque Alpine basin. Yet, to the dismay of fat-tire aficionados, bikes would be barred from Fourth of July and 85 miles of other nearby singletrack — the narrow, challenging trails prized by hard-core riders — under a bill gaining steam in Congress. The Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, pegs 492 square miles near the famed Sun Valley Resort as federally designated wilderness. It's a vexing paradox for the International Mountain Bike Association, whose mission largely is to preserve trails in wild areas across the country. Since the 1980s, the legal definition of wilderness has prohibited mechanized transportation such as snowmobiles, all terrain vehicles and — inexplicably to some — mountain bikes. So now, the association finds itself battling wilderness bills and tangling with conservationists in Idaho, California, Montana and the corridors of Congress....A lot of U.S. oil, gas is off limits About half of the oil and more than a quarter of the natural gas inventoried on 99 million acres of federal land are off limits to drilling because of significant environmental and other restrictions, the government said Tuesday in a new report the energy industry sought as part of a campaign to win access to it. Only 3 percent of the oil and 13 percent of gas under federal lands is accessible under standard lease terms requiring only basic protections for the environment and cultural resources, according to the new survey released Tuesday. Technically, the study was ordered by Congress. But the industry wanted it to help make a point. Another 46 percent of the oil and 60 percent of the gas "may be developed subject to additional restrictions including no surface occupancy" or bans during part of the year to protect animal habitat or sensitive terrain, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management said in the report. While not technically off limits, oil and gas companies have contended that those restrictions often make actual development difficult or impossible. In the new inventory, the amount of oil considered accessible without limit declined by about two-thirds from 2.2 billion barrels to 743 million barrels. Accessible natural gas was cut by about the same proportion -- from 87 trillion cubic feet to 25 trillion cubic feet. But environmentalists, who had used a 2003 study to argue against drilling in sensitive wild areas, said they feared the new study would make it appear industry has less access than it does....go here(pdf)to view the report.Coal mine planned near Bryce Canyon The federal Bureau of Land Management is about to begin an environmental impact study on a proposed surface coal mine just south of the Kane County town of Alton but also fairly close to Bryce Canyon National Park. That location is likely to spark a "jobs vs. environmental protection" debate as the BLM's Kanab Office considers the Coal Hollow Mine proposal submitted by Alton Coal Development LLC, a small company based in Huntington, Emery County. "The proximity to the national park puts this one way up on our radar screen," said Stephen Bloch, staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. The mine is projected to create about 50 jobs in Alton, a livestock and ranching community of 134 residents, according to the 2000 census. Its median household income that year was $30,833, with 23.8 percent of the population living below the poverty line. The proposed mine would yield about 2 million tons of coal annually. The coal would be trucked from the mine site, about three miles south of Alton, up U.S. Highway 89 to State Route 20 and then down Interstate 15 to a coal loadout facility west of Cedar City. About 190 truck trips are anticipated each weekday....DOE seeks land for Yucca Mountain railroad studies The Department of Energy wants access to 208,000 acres of public land for studies of two possible rail routes to the proposed nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain. DOE officials have filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw 139,391 acres of land in a mile-wide corridor running 130 miles from Hawthorne to Goldfield, the so-called Mina route. It also has asked permission to withdraw an additional 68,646 acres of public land along portions of the Caliente route, BLM spokesman Doran Sanchez said Monday. The land withdrawals would allow the department to move forward with environmental studies of the rail routes to the proposed nuclear repository 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The Mina corridor has gained favor among some government officials as possibly a less expensive and less complicated than a $2 billion rail line that would run from Caliente in eastern Nevada. But critics say the Mina corridor could expose more communities, including downtown Reno, to nuclear waste shipments.... U.S. offers orca rescue plan Federal fisheries officials Tuesday unveiled their plan to rescue Puget Sound's embattled orcas but said they won't protect some waters environmentalists consider important to the killer whales: the Sound's shoreline, Hood Canal and the Pacific Coast. In its recovery plan, the National Marine Fisheries Service voiced "considerable uncertainty" about which of many threats to orcas should get the most attention. Are toxic chemicals most important? Reduced runs of the whales' favorite food, Chinook salmon? Effects such as engine noise from whale watchers and other boats? Property rights advocates dismissed the whole exercise as unnecessary. Environmentalists said that while they're glad to see the government moving to help orcas, federal policymakers aren't going far enough. They advocate more concrete and immediate actions to save the whales. "On toxics, they seem very reluctant to propose action because they want to study it more," said Kathy Fletcher, president of the environmental group People for Puget Sound. "It would be nice to see a lot more action-oriented commitment.".... Oceans' early demise disputed The sky isn't falling and the fish will still be around in mid-century, according to fishermen and critics of a recent article that forecast a bleak future for the fishing industry. The article, published Nov. 3 in the magazine Science, predicted the collapse of all of the world's fisheries by 2048, based on declining fish harvest numbers and other research. It also sparked a firestorm of controversy, generating headlines nationwide in newspapers and news magazines, spinning off into an elaborately illustrated feature in Time magazine. Among critics like Ray Hilborn, a peer review scientist at the University of Washington, the article was "probably the most absurd prediction that's ever appeared in a scientific journal regarding fisheries." Hilborn called the Science article findings "silly," but also worried that they "will become completely accepted in the ecological community. They have no skepticism." But the researchers who wrote the Science story - including two from Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, Calif., - are sticking to their findings. At the core of the controversy is what critics call the growing "enviro-sensationalism" trend of environmental news, said Steve Ralston, senior fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Office in Santa Cruz. He referred to the growing number of similar reports as "an increasing `Chicken Little' response."....EPA Will Allow Some Pesticide Use In Water Without Permit The agricultural chemicals industry says it welcomes a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency that will allow pesticides to be applied by farmers, ranchers, and public health officials over and near bodies of water without first obtaining a permit under the Clean Water Act. But pesticide manufacturers also maintain that the scope of the final rule, issued on Nov. 21, should be broader. "EPA's action clarifies two important situations where a permit will not be needed before applying pesticides, but it only applies to aquatic uses and forest canopy applications of pesticides," says Jay J. Vroom, president and chief executive officer of CropLife America, an industry trade group. Under the new regulation, pesticides can be applied directly into water or sprayed nearby without a pollution permit if the application is needed to control aquatic weeds, mosquitoes, or other pests. EPA says the measure clarifies that permits issued under the Clean Water Act are not required so long as the pesticides are sprayed in compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide & Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the federal statute governing the registration and application of pesticides. "This clean water rule strengthens and streamlines efforts of public health officials and communities to control pests and invasive species while maintaining important environmental safeguards," says Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water. Vroom says the rule removes some ambiguity in the permit question for public health officials and a few other pesticide users and partially closes the door on lawsuits that could arise from this gray area governing pesticide use....Professor attempts to uncover Brown Mountain mystery A mystery that has eluded Boone researchers for centuries may soon be solved. Long before the establishment of Appalachian State University, reports existed of mysterious lights appearing in the vicinity of the Linville Gorge, known as the Brown Mountain Lights. Astronomy and physics professor Dr. Dan B. Caton said the lights appear at completely random intervals and 90 to 95 percent of the occurrences can be explained. But Caton isn’t interested in those; instead, he is making it his goal to study the other 5 percent – the occurrences that science has tried to explain, but has not been able to. Observers of the lights have reported them to appear as bright, glowing orbs above Table Rock, Linville Gorge and Brown Mountain. Caton said they have been reported in every color, and sometimes last for a few hours. Caton received an e-mail from someone who saw the lights from a distance of eight feet in a parking area. Caton’s idea to research the Brown Mountain Lights is in the form of a web-cam, which he has already procured through university funding. Caton received permission from the U.S. Forest Service to place the web-cam on a pulpit at the Wiseman’s View overlook off the Blue Ridge Parkway....Whether he solves this or not, it resulted in a great song, "The Mystery of The Brown Mountain Lights".Equine Therapy Plays an Important Role in Young Adult Drug Rehab Horses are playing an important role in young adult drug rehab. In its continuing development of providing excellence in addiction treatment, Gatehouse Academy has successfully launched Equine-Assisted Therapy as a regular component of its comprehensive addiction treatment. Gatehouse Academy is a leader in the field of young adult drug and alcohol rehabilitation. "Animal-assisted psychotherapy has a long history in the therapeutic community, especially in hospice and geriatric work," said Dr. Don Durham, Clinical Director of Gatehouse Therapeutic Health Services. Equine-assisted therapy, a more recent development, is in many ways a natural outgrowth of the animal-assisted human services field, colored by the new-but-old influence of the cowboy horse whisperers. Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EGALA) is perhaps the best organized body that grants certification as an Equine-Assisted Psychotherapist. "Three of our master's level professional staff are also certified as equine therapists," Durham added. The program originated from "... our founders' instinctive awareness of the mental health benefits of cultivating relationships with horses." Durham continued, "A therapeutic use of these sensitive and intuitive animals was a natural development. Their instinctive response to the feelings and often hidden agenda of people provides an honest feedback loop for clients to take a look at what's really going on within themselves."....Rodeo Royalty f Ben Londo’s game were football, he’d be as famous as Reggie Bush, the former USC running back who won last year’s Heisman Trophy as the country’s best college football player. More famous, actually. Londo, a Cal Poly senior, has won his rugged sport’s equivalent of the Heisman for two years in a row, and is intent on winning it again this season. And all Reggie Bush had to worry about was the occasional 250-pound human being coming hard at him. Londo was the all-around champion at the National College Rodeo Finals in 2005 and 2006, but the dun horse with the white face patch seemed unimpressed. Londo, an easygoing 22-year-old construction management major and dean’s list student from Milton-Freewater, Ore., could serve as the exemplar of college rodeo, which, though largely unfamiliar to urban and suburban America, has been a mainstay on agriculturally oriented campuses since the 1930s. Nowadays, 140 junior and four-year colleges belong to the sport’s sanctioning body, the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Cal Poly’s program, of which Londo is the inspirational leader, is one of the nation’s best, "in the top five," said Branquinho....WORLD RODEO CHAMP PATRICK SMITH OF MIDLAND TRIES TO ROPE SECOND TITLE There's plenty of differences for Midland roper Patrick Smith as he approaches this year's edition of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He will be missing his trusted horse Jaws, which could pose a problem in the smaller ring at the Thomas and Mack Center. He and his partner Clay Tryan of Billings, Mont., don't lead in the money as they did a year ago en route to a world title, which brings us to the most obvious difference. He's the world champion. "It is a cool thing to know (you already have a world championship)," Smith said this week heading into the 10-day NFR, which is set to begin Thursday and run through Dec. 9. "We are grateful to have one under our belt. All the others will be icing on the cake." There is a certain amount of pressure, Smith said, for a rodeo performer to win a first world title. Winning a world championship is the premier honor in the sport and puts cowboys in select company. Once the first is captured a certain amount of pressure is off. Once completed, he said, you can worry about roping, making money and adding to the buckle collection.... YO ADRIANO! It was only fitting that St. Gregory Catholic School would celebrate its designation as a Blue Ribbon school with a world champion. Adriano Moraes, three-time world champion professional bull rider, addressed students and parents Tuesday as the school continued a weeklong set of events noting its naming as a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School. After a video presentation of Moraes' latest championship feat in Las Vegas, the Brazilian turned Tylerite spoke of his faith, family, and profession. "God is No. 1 and He is followed by family and nature," Moraes said to the attentive students. "God creates all things and He teaches us to respect family and nature, which includes all the animals." Moraes respects animals, especially the bulls he rides, one of which weighed up to 2,200 pounds. He came through with another world title just three weeks ago in Las Vegas., thus becoming the first three-time winner of the Profession Bull Riders and the oldest at age 36....Rodeo cowboy follows dream to championships Call it superstitious, a personality quirk, a jinx or anything that comes to mind, but Matt Sherwood stood behind his long-ago decision to never attend his first National Finals Rodeo until he earned it. Similar to hockey's unwritten rule of not touching the Stanley Cup until winning an NHL title, Sherwood, a lifelong rodeo cowboy who lives in Queen Creek, held to it. "I always thought that I would never just go watch," Sherwood said. "I didn't think it would feel right. I don't remember when I decided it, but it was early in my career. I figured the only way I'd go is to earn it." That he has. Sherwood, 37, enters the 2006 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo atop the money list as the header in team roping. His partner, Walt Woodard, of Stockton, Calif., leads the way as the heeler. Together they hope to leave the 10-day competition, which gets under way Thursday in Las Vegas, as world champions. "It's super gratifying to compete against the best in the world in your sport," Sherwood said. "I have (an $8,000) lead going in, but any one of us can win it. If I come out of this on top and say I am a world champion, then I will be overcome with emotion." Each year, the top 15 contestants in team roping and seven other events qualify for the national finals based on money leaders in the Pro Rodeo Cowboy's World Standings....Bulldogger Gorsuch heads to second NFR Before steer wrestler Dean Gorsuch left for RodeoHouston last year, he and his wife Bekah had talked about what might happen if he did well. "If we done good in Houston, we were going to seriously think about (going pro)," Gorsuch said. "We weren't really planning on winning or anything." Gorsuch fared just fine, turfing his steer in 4 seconds and winning Houston. He later quit his pipeline welding job at Kinder Morgan and started bulldogging full time. The decision paid off. Gorsuch enters his second NFR in the No. 1 position, but he's still reminded about choosing steers over pipes. "After Houston, me and my wife talked, and we decided to do it," said Gorsuch, whose decision was made even harder by the birth of his son, Taydon. "It was a decision between us, and she's been great about everything. "But it was a pretty hard deal right away. My boy was born just a few weeks before I left for Houston." Gorsuch finished ninth at the 2005 NFR and finished with almost $119,000 on the season. He enters this year's NFR with more than $111,000 and leads second-place Shawn Greenfield by more than $20,000....Alleged Boot Burglar Busted After High-speed Chase In Richmond Richmond police rounded up an apparent boot rustler early this morning, just a half-hour after Rosenberg police were called to investigate a break-in at Gabby’s Western Wear Fashions. Angel Vasquez, 26, of Richmond, was arrested by Richmond police officers after a high-speed chase at about 12:48 a.m., and charged with evading arrest in a motor vehicle. According to police reports, when officers were able to stop the black Mazda Vasquez was driving, they found the car was filled with numerous pairs of cowboy boots, with price tags attached to them. Aware of the burglary at Gabby’s, Richmond police turned Vasquez over to the Rosenberg Police Department. The incident began just after midnight, when Rosenberg Police Officer Richard Hooper was called to Gabby’s, at 3926 Ave. H, to investigate a burglary....